Racing amusement mechanism



April 5, 1938. c. w. MussER 2,113,273

RACING AMUSEMENT MECHANISM Filed April 26, 1955 v Jfm ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, I

RACING AMUSEMENT MECHANISM Clarence W. Musser, Kansas City, Mo.

Application April 26,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in racing amusement mechanisms of the type in which devices simulating racing figures, such as jockeys on horses, are respectively mounted on carriers which are independently intermittently advanced to a finish position and then simultaneously retracted to the starting position.

It relates particularly to the specific type in which each carrier is reciprocative on a bar on which it is advanced by a locking member movable with the carrier and slidable on the bar, and tiltable thereon to and from an oblique cramped locked position in which it will hold the carrier from accidental advancement, due to its motinued its advancing function.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of novel means by which the locking member is normally moved to and releasably held in the oblique locking position in spite of wear on the parts. A further object of my invention is the pro vision of novel means for holding the pawl, which is employed to release the locking member and 5 advance the carrier, tightly in its operative position against the locking memberv regardless of wear and looseness of the engaging portions of these members.

Still another object of my invention is theproff In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodiment of my invention and modifications thereof,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improvement which embodies a compression spring for retracting the locking member, and a weight for forcing the pawl into engagement with the ratchet bar.

Fig. 2 is a reduced view similar to Fig. 1, with the racing figure removedand a spring substituted for the weight to retract the pawl.

Fig. 3 is a reduced side elevation of a modified form of my invention in which a pull spring is employed for moving the locking member to the locking position, parts being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a reduced side elevation similar to Fig. 3 showing the pull spring engaging the locking member for retracting it to the locking position, and a spring for retracting the pawl into engagement with the ratchet bar.

mentum, after the advancing means has discon- 1935, Serial No. 18,294

Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the pawlwith 'a weight attached to one end portion thereof and a spring receiving hole in the opposite end por-' tion.

Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the carrier shown in.

Similar'characters of reference designate similar parts in the difierent views. I

Referring to Figs. 1, 5, 6, '7 and 9, l designates the horizontal upper part of a figure carrier having at the ends of the part I two vertical arms2 and 3 provided respectively therethrough with holes 4 and 5 through which extends a horizontal supporting bar 6, on which the carrier is reciprocative. The bar 8 is one of a plurality of par-' allel bars, which are not shown, butwhich have a like purpose in a racing mechanism of a type in common use.

Attached at its lower end to and extending upwardly from the horizontal part I of the carrier is a post 1 which supports on its upper end a racing figure 8, which, as shown, simulates a horse. carrying a jockey.

An upright plate constituting alocking memher 9 is slidably 'reciprocative on the bar thetween the arms 2 and 3, and has'its upper end portion extending through a holel0, Fig. 6, in the part I of the carrier. 9 which receives the bar 6. 1

The locking member 9 is tiltable laterally'on the The member 9 has a hole bar 6 to and from the oblique position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 1, in which position the locking member has cramped engagement with the bar 6 and is locked thereon against any pressure forwardlyof the figure 8 and the carrier, but permitting the carrier to move rearwardly toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 1.

The lower end of the locking member -9 has through it a hole II, in which is pivoted the right angled'upper end portion [2 of a downwardly and rearwardly extending plate l3, which-serves as a pawl, and having its lower end operatively engageable with teeth [4 of aratchet bar l5 extending. through and vertically movable in a vertical slot I6 which extends upwardly from the lower end of the arm 2. The ratchet bar i5 is intermittently longitudinally reciprocated, and when it moves forwardly it engages the pawl l3 and carries it forwardly, thus pushing forward the lowerend :of the,

locking member 9 to the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thereby releasing the locking member.

The mechanism just described comprises a part of the structure which is in common use. To this structure I have added my improvements, one of which consists in disposing between the arm 3 of the carrier and the locking member 9 a coil compression spring I! which encircles the bar 6 and which bears at one end against .the' arm 3 and at its other end against the locking.

member 9.

The tension of the spring I! which contacts with the locking member 9 normally forces the latter to the oblique locking position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. A rearwardly extending arm i8 at the lower end of the arm 3 serves as a stop limiting the forward swinging of the. locking member 9 to the vertical released position.

A weight i9 on the lower portion of the pawl l3 normally-ztends to force the pawl to engagement with the ratchet bar [5, in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 9. H V

In; theoperation of the form of my invention shown in Figs. 1, 5, 6, 7 and 9, when the ratchet bar. l5-'moves forwardly, to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, the pawl l3 will be forced forwardly and will press forwardlythe lower end of the locking member9to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.. 1, at which time the pawl will strike the arm i8 of the carrier. The locking member being released will force the carrier with the racing figure 8 forwardly until the forward movement of .the ratchet bar 15 ceases. The momentum imparted to the carrier will tend to cause it to slide forwardly on the bar 6. This forward movement, however, will beat once-arrested due to thecoil compression spring I! forcing rearwardly the locking -member 9 to the locked oblique position shown in solid lines in- Fig. 1. As the ratchet bar I5 continues reciprocation;

the operation just described will-be repeated until the carrier has reached the finishing position, which will be the place of termination of the race.

After the carrier has reached the finishing --position, a forwardly and rearwardly reciprocating resetting bar 20, .disposed above the ratchet bar I5, transversely thereto, will move rearwardly, and in sodoing, will strike thepawl i3 and lift it free from the tooth I 4, with which the-pawl at the time is engaged, to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. l. The resettingbar 20wi1l engage the arm 2 of the carrier, and will force the latter rearwardly to the initial starting position.

With the use of the compression spring l1,

which always is exerting a pressure against the locking member 9 tending to force the latter to the locking position, irrespective of the amount of wear of the locking member around the hole 9', the locking member, on'being released from forward pressure upon it by the pawl l3, will instantly lockon the bar 6, and will thereby prevent-forward skidding, due to its momentum, of the carrier;

In the form shown in Figs. 2 and 8,'theweight l 9 on the pawl I3 is omitted and a coil-pull spring 2| has one'end fastened to the angle portion l2 of .the pawl, its other aend being fastened to a downwardly extending tongue 22, which is punched from the arm 18;

The tension'of the coil pull spring 2| is less than the power of thespring 11, so as not to interfere with' the properroperation of the latter, but "it" exerts a constant pull which holds the pawl l3 tightly against the locking member 9, and thus tends to quickly swing the pawl I3 to the ratchet bar engaging position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2.

As the resetting bar 20 swings the pawl [3 upwardly, the shoulders 23, Fig. 9 on the pawl, engage the arm 2 of the carrier, thereby forcing the pawl forwardly, so that it moves the locking member9 to the forward release position, thus eliminatingyany liability of the locking member lockingly engaging the bar 6, when the resetting bar.20, engages the arm 2 to retract the carrier.

With the exception of the pull spring 2| and the tongue 22 being provided for engaging the pawl I3 with the ratchet bar l5, and the elimination of the weight I9, the modification shown in Fig. 2corresponds in construction and mode of operation to the form shown in Fig, 1.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 corresponds tothat shown in..Fig 1 in structure and mode of operation, exceptingthata pull coil spring 24 is substituted for the compression push spring I! for normally .forcing the locking member 9 to the locking position.

For attaching the coil spring 24, it has one end aflixed to an upwardly turned tongue 25 extending forwardly and upwardlyfrom the arm 2 of thecarrier, the other endof the spring being attached toa tonguev'ili and which extends rearwardlyand downwardly from the locking member 9.. The pullspring 24 normally forces the locking member to the locking position.

The modification shown in Fig. 4 corresponds in structure and mode of operation to that shown in Fig.2, with the exception that the coil spring 24, is substituted for the compression spring l'l, the spring-24, as in Fig.. 3, being fastened at its endsrespectively to tongues 25'and 26 provided, as. inthe form shown in Fig. 3, on the arm 2 and the locking member 9. The tension of the pull, spring v24 is .such as to normally force the locking. member.9 into locked engagement withthe .bar 6,.to hold the carrier from forward skidcling, when the pawl l 3 and locking member move the carrier forwardly, as has been described.

Other modifications of my invention, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my in vention...

What-I claim is:.

1. Ina device ofthe kind described, the combination with a supporting bar, a racing figure carrier reciprocative on said bar, a locking member slidably reciprocative on the bar and tiltable to and from crampedlocking engagement with said bar, and engaging-andmovable-with the carrier, and when locked to. said bar, holding the carrier fromforward movement but permitting its rearward movement, a reciprocative ratchet bar, and a pawl engaging the ratchet bar and the locking member, for moving the latter forwardly and from the locking position, of a spring engaging the carrier and the locking member and exerting a continuous yielding effort tending to force the locking member into cramped locking engagement with said stationary bar, and means operative independently of said spring for normally-forcing saidpawl into engagement with said ratchet bar.

2. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a .supportingbar, a carrier reciprocative on-said bar, a locking member engagingand movable with the carrier and slidably engaging the bar and tiltable thereon to a locking position, a spring normally forcing the looking member to the locking position, a reciprocative ratchet bar, and a pawl pivotally engaging the locking member and adapted to be engaged by the ratchet bar and moved to release the locking member and to force it and the earlier forwardly, of a spring attached to the carrier and to said pawl and exerting a tension normally forcing the pawl into engagement with said ratchet bar.

3. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a supporting bar, a carrier reciprocative on said bar, a locking member engaging and movable with the carrier and slidably engaging the bar and tiltable thereon to and from a locking position, a reciprocative ratchet bar, and a pawl pivotally engaging the locking member and adapted to engage the ratchet member and to be moved thereby forwardly to release the locking member and to force the latter and the carrier forwardly, of a spring engaging said pawl and at all times exerting a pressure against the pawl for forcing the pawl into engagement with the ratchet bar and yieldable means normally forcing said locking member to the locking position.

4. Racer actuating mechanism for mechanically operated game apparatus comprising a supporting frame, a stationary longitudinally extending rod mounted on said frame, a reciprocatory frame supported bar disposed beneath said rod and provided with ratchet teeth, a racer supporting bracket slidably mounted on said rod, a brake device movably carried in connection with said bracket, said brake device being formed with an opening for the reception of said rod, spring means arranged between said brake device and said bracket and normally tending to maintain the walls of the opening in said device in gripping engagement with the outer surfaces of said rod to restrain said bracket against movement in a forward direction, a trigger movably connected at its upper end with said brake device and having its lower end disposed for engagement with the teeth of said reciprocating bar, and spring means connected with said bracket for normally maintaining the lower end of said trigger in engagement with the bar teeth.

CLARENCE W. MUSSER. 

